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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28010436">Unsung Hero</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acantha_Rayne_OakMoon/pseuds/Acantha_Rayne_OakMoon'>Acantha_Rayne_OakMoon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Flourish and Blotts, FotR Secret Santa 2020, Friends to Lovers, author Hermione</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:35:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>797</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28010436</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acantha_Rayne_OakMoon/pseuds/Acantha_Rayne_OakMoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Biographer Hermione Granger has a new book out and a special message for the subject of it. Will he reciprocate?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Neville Longbottom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>FoTR's 2020 Secret Santa Drabble Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unsung Hero</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/kryia/gifts">kryia</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the Fairest of the Rare Secret Santa Fic Exchange. <br/>800 word limit. Word count: 799. Right against the wire.<br/>Neville/Hermione is not usually a pairing I write so I hope I did it justice for you. Merry Christmas x</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flourish &amp; Blotts was packed as Hermione stood near the cash register. It reminded her of the day she’d visited before her second year at Hogwarts; Gilderoy Lockhart posing and signing his latest book.</p><p>She was here to do the same thing, minus posing. ‘<em>Unsung Hero’</em> was her latest biography, detailing the magnificent Gryffindor courage of Neville Longbottom, whose actions and passion during the war had carried the spirit of <em>The Golden Trio </em>and <em>Dumbledore’s Army </em>through the darkest year Hogwarts had ever known.</p><p>This book came on the back of <em>My Best Friend: A Personal Memoir of Harry Potter; Weasleys: Best of Wizarding Kind; </em>and <em>The Fine &amp; Billowing Line. </em>It had taken three years for Neville to agree to her writing about <em>his </em>war but with her promise to be respectful of his parents and ‘gentle’ about how she described everything, he acquiesced.</p><p>The next six months had been spent laughing and crying over their Hogwarts years, reminiscing, Hermione apologising <em>again</em> for <em>petrificusing </em>him in first year and commiserating over the losses. Lunches, dinners, two parties, and a drunken snog (leading to days of awkwardness) had also taken up a percentage of those six months.</p><p>From that moment to this, Hermione saw Neville through new eyes; he’d grown tall, so tall, he towered over her; he was fit too, she could imagine his abdominal muscles, tight and rippling; on the days he wore short sleeves through the summer, he was sporting a detailed tattoo of the Sword of Gryffindor on his right arm, the hilt hiding somewhere near his shoulder.</p><p>Hermione Granger had developed a big, juicy crush on Neville Longbottom and as she felt him standing behind her where she stood, ready for her ‘reading’ and then book-signing, she knew that the crush wasn’t going anywhere. The heat of him radiated towards her and she could feel her body responding, her mind projecting his powerful arms wrapping around her from behind and pulling her close.</p><p>“Without further ado, I give you Hermione Granger and <em>her</em> ‘Unsung Hero’.” Mr Blott announced, startling Hermione from her fantasising. She sensed something ‘knowing’ in his voice when he’d said ‘her unsung hero’.</p><p>“Thank you, Mr Blott,” She began, clearing her throat and shaking his hand before looking at the crowd. “I consider it a great pleasure to count Neville Longbottom amongst my close friends; he is warm and caring with a passion worthy of his Gryffindor house that he keeps too well hidden. When I found out most of the books written about one of the darkest years the wizarding world has ever know, failed to include Neville’s contributions to the cause, I was appalled and felt the need to right that wrong. I shall save the chapters for your own perusal and keep the reading short today; just the preface…</p><p>
  <em>Dearest Neville,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I write this to you only moments after you left our last editing session. I have loved getting to know the kindness and compassion of you better over these six months; your heart is endless and your smile is happiness. You finally get to know the title of this book that I probably should not have kept from you but you are so very humble, you would not have accepted it. To me, you are just as much of a hero as Harry Potter… you have the heart and courage of a lion but you have the wisdom to know when to walk away. You are a good man and as the readers read about the wonder of you, I think they may realise that you are very possibly, the perfect man.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With Love</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hermione</em>
</p><p>“Now,” Hermione said quickly, transitioning from reading to addressing the crowd and avoiding Neville’s eyes, “I would like to hand you over to a special guest who actually wrote the <em>Foreword</em> for me… Mr Haaaarrryy Pottttterrrr.”</p><p>“Thanks for that rousing introduction Hermione,” Harry whispered through gritted teeth as he passed her, “Go find Neville, he asked me to send you to the Herbology section.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Yes. Now go get him.” Harry said with a grin.</p><p>“Thanks Harry.” She called back, hurrying off to find her man in the Herbology section.</p><p> </p><p>“Neville…” Hermione whispered softly as she entered the alcove of Herbology books.</p><p>“You’re too good to me.” She heard him say from somewhere behind her.</p><p>Her breath caught as she felt the arms she’d imagined earlier wrapping around her waist and hot breath against her ear.</p><p>“Did you mean it?” He whispered, lips just grazing the shell.</p><p>She shivered but managed to nod.</p><p>“Kiss me.” He commanded boldly and so she did. Turning around, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her level and finally allowed her lips the freedom they had yearned for as they met his.</p>
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